More on Traore’s transfer to Galatasaray

Recommended by Galata’s Ivorian forward Abdul Kader Keita, Traore has already confirmed that he’d be interested in a move to the Turkish giants, who are collecting as much information as possible on probably the foreign player with the biggest potential that has played in Romania so far.

“I’m ready to listen to offers from them and I’m looking forward to what will happen at the end of the season”, said Traore in the Turkish press. Former Galata superstar and Romanian living legend GheorgheHagi has been asked by the Turks to convince CFR’s board to show understanding and flexibility, preparing the ground for the first talks about the player’s price, which could easily rise above the 4 million Euros estimated before the second half of season, given the increased competition between strong clubs like Galata, Napoli and even Arsenal.

Also, former Steaua fitness coach, Yuksel Yesilova, who knows really well the Romanian league, has made a player profile that should get him at least 5% of the player’s salary once he reaches Ali Sami Yen ;-): “Although he’s very young, he shows composure and maturity on the pitch. He’s a gifted two footed player, very strong in the air. Powerful, with good stamina, looks a lot like Hakan Sukur in his early days, could make a deadly partnership with Milan Baros.Definitely one of the best players in the league, with a very bright future ahead of him.”

I’m not saying that this ain’t true, but I’d be a little reserved when it comes to maturity and composure, especially after seeing all three games played this year. All of them showed a talented footballer who is focused on one thing, a selfish player ready to sacrifice the team’s interest in order to reach a personal goal. Right now, he has two choices: regain the atitude that generated all this hype or continue to play on his own, hoping that CFR will decide to take up on the first concrete offer that will come along, the sooner- the better.

If he goes on like this, he will probably have the same faith as Dubarbier, once rated at 10 million Euros (ok, CFR would have probably received 7 or 8 at that time), sold a year too late, for less than 2 million. Because CFR will ask for a higher price after each similar media storm regarding interest from abroad, while the player’s performances would advice a safer and less expensive approach from the clubs willing to transfer him.

Dubarbier’s price tag at that time was surely exaggerated though. He said himself that he doesn’t believe he’s worth more than Radoi who was sold for 6 mills apparently. Yuksel’s words definately don’t represent Traore at all who can’t be compared to Hakan Sükür at all!! Traore lacks the positioning and “poaching instinct” to be considered a finished striker yet and can be compared to Adebayor at best – meaning that he has the physical and technical attributes to become a top player but will not show any consistency in his play.

Radu Baicu

• 10 years of continuous work in scouting, for top clubs and companies;
• Worked for clubs like Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Hannover 96, monitorring the Romanian market;
• Worked for Birmingham based company 'The Scouting Network' (www.tsn.co.uk) as a football scout;
• Worked for Zurich based company Boutique Football as a scouting network coordinator;
• International scout for Young Boys Bern for 2 years, covering Eastern European football.
• Currently working as an international scout for a top French club, covering Eastern European football.